The Perfect Gift
by Marta TP
Summary: It's that time of the year again -the time for a Cophine fluffy X-mas story- and this year I'm gonna bring you a small fic about the search for the perfect gift. This will have at least 2 chapters and hopefully I'll be able to post before the actual Christmas day, but no promises. The possible eventually third chapter will have to involve some kind of bribery (and a M-rating) ;)
1. Chapter 1

She observes the peculiar young woman with a curious tilt of her eyebrow. Nearly one hour has passed since this particular customer has crossed the threshold that leads into the big store, Delphine is sure of it. The moment she catches a glimpse of dreadlocked hair, she has been zeroing every five minutes on the brunette. And, despite the vision being far from unpleasant, that's not exactly why the blonde's eyes continue to search for her. This is an upscale establishment, the price tags on the items in display are perverse enough to make ones eyes pop out of their sockets and the likes of the colorfully dressed woman, presently checking a selection of perfumes, are unusual if not practically non-existent.

During the three-hour training Delphine had undergo to be a store clerk in the holiday's season, the coordinator had been adamant about the type of clientele to be expected, which certainly does not include much of an eclectic crowd. _That_ is why Delphine's keeping an eye on the girl; she has trouble written all over her.

Although, to be perfectly honest, by now Delphine's sure that this woman isn't here to snatch something into the purse casually dangling from her shoulder. Aren't they suppose to be subtle? To take as little time as possible in selecting something and make a dash for the door? Wander around the store for one hour does not fit the MO. With a sigh, Delphine moves away from the counter and heads towards the girl, who has also caught the attention of the store security, the big man watches her every move.

"May I help you?" Delphine asks, standing a few steps behind the girl.

The customer gasps, startled and turns around, bright eyes behind thick frames inspect the clerk top to bottom before a large smile stretches her lips. "Oh... Hi!" The brunette says between a toothy grin, but that's all she says, after the thorough inspection her gaze finally settled on Delphine's eyes.

The blonde waits with thin patience for something more. Not used to have customers engage with her so directly, instead of being immediately treated like a servant, the intense eye contact is leaving her slightly unsettled, the big smile the brunette is showing raises to her incredibly acute stare, which smooths around the edges and has the clerk completely charmed. Now, Delphine would be lying if she didn't admit that, despite the slight embarrassment anyone experiences when being so keenly observed by a stranger, it also causes a sudden surge of warmth growing in her chest and judging by the heat she's feeling, it also brings a bright color to her cheeks. No, the attention is not entirely unwelcome, but it would be nice if the petite woman says something else.

"Are you looking for something specific?" Delphine tries again, a small step goes in the customer's direction and she has to bend her head not to disengage.

"Oh... yes... Yes!" She nods, the few dreadlocks that are loosen from the bun bounce a little. "Well... not exactly," the young woman adds, her shoulders sinking.

Delphine frowns in confusion, even if there's a small smile forcing its way to her lips. "Which is it?"

The girl laughs. "I need a Christmas gift..." and she stops, not offering any other information.

A brow cocks and the blonde wrinkles her nose. "I thought as much, seeing as it's that time of the year."

"Well... yeah... obvs," the small woman crosses her ankles, bracelets jingle in her arms as she starts to float them around. "But I don't really know what to get."

"And who will be receiving this Christmas gift?" Delphine asks in order to help.

"My girlfriend," the reply comes quickly and in a small voice.

"I see..." the clerk finally withdraws from the costumer's stare, not really interested in addressing the mild disappointment twisting her gut. "Perfume is a good option," she says, moving to the side of the small woman and aiming her hand at the large display of small bottles.

"Yeah..." the brunette agrees slowly, "but, like, don't you think it's a bit weird? Like: hey, this is how I want you to smell."

Delphine tries to control her laughter because this is not exactly the type of venue where the clerks are suppose to look like they're enjoying themselves. "Not if you buy a bottle of the perfume she usually wears."

"Yes," the other woman laughs also, a much freer sound. "But I would need to know which one that is." Delphine raises a singular brow and arms start to fly all over the place again. "We haven't been going out that long," she offers a justification for some reason.

"Okay," Delphine turns on her heels to look around the big store. "Perhaps something else, then."

Help customers pick gifts goes beyond her responsibilities and it's not like Delphine is usually interested in doing so, but the quirky character looks utterly lost - and totally adorable - so she decides to make an exception. Even if it's to help an incredibly alluring girl select a Christmas present to her girlfriend. She scans the options available: there's the never-ending collection of makeup, shampoos, bodywash and _miracle_ creams; then there's the selection of lingerie and sleeping clothes in general.

"What about a pijama?" She suggests. "Surely you know her size."

"I can guess..." the girl confirms and starts to walk towards the clothing area. "But that's not exactly sexy: here, have some pj's..." she continues to chat casually, her hands a constant flow of erratic motions that somehow makes sense. "Sounds like the type of gift her grandma would give her."

Delphine finds herself following the girl, who doesn't the stop to check that she's not left talking alone, as if assuming the clerk would join her by the pajamas rack. There's certainly a large selection to choose from, ranging from the comfortable, warm flannel to the flimsy, silky ones that really don't achieve in warming or covering much. The brunette eyes them carefully, a loose dreadlock twirling on a finger while the other hand reaches out to test the softness of the fabrics.

"If you want sexy, then a lingerie would be a good choice," Delphine says distractedly, looking at her right side where said items are on display.

"Only if you don't mind modeling them for me," the young woman mumbles.

The blonde's head snaps in the customer's direction, who suddenly opens her eyes wide with a startled expression on her face, apparently as surprised by her own statement as Delphine.

"Shit... did I say that out loud?" She says quickly, her body shifts to face Delphine and her arms wave energetically between them. "I'm sorry! Shit! That's totally inappropriate," she apologizes in a quick stream of words. "Sometimes there's no link between my brain and my mouth and I say stupid stuff. Please, could you just ignore..."

And it is absolutely, completely inappropriate. Delphine should be shocked, offended even, she should immediately spin on the balls of her feet and head back to her post, leave the customer to her own devices. She should, but she won't. Instead Delphine surprises herself by suppressing a giggle at the flustered girl's lame excuses, her hand moving forward to lay a soothing touch on the other woman's shoulder.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm afraid they don't allow us to do that," she leans her head and whispers in a conspiratorial tone.

The girl grins widely, her hands stop mid-air and her big, brown eyes, which have been avoiding direct contact during her tirade, settle on the clerk's gaze. "Yeah... didn't think they would," she chuckles, "but I'm still sorry for even suggesting it."

Delphine pulls back, her arm returns to the side of her body and, suddenly realizing what she's doing, gives one step back to put some distance between the two of them. She can't be doing this. Flirting with the customers is definitely not in the job's description; flirting with a customer who has a girlfriend is even worse.

"I'm not sure I can help you," Delphine puts up her best professional voice, distancing herself. Sure, she knows that the change on her demeanor is noticeably abrupt and can be wrongly interpreted, but... priorities. "Why don't you try a bookstore or something like that?"

The expression on the other woman's face falls visibly and Delphine thinks she can see a hint of disappointment flash through bright eyes, thus confirming that the sudden drop of friendliness as not gone unnoticed.

"Are you really encouraging me to take my business elsewhere?"

"Non, non, non," she shakes her head so violently that a few blonde curls find freedom from the hairband. "I'm merely saying that you probably won't find what you're looking for here," Delphine says in a much conciliatory tone, realizing that perhaps she has been too blunt before.

"Too bad, I thought I already did," the brunette murmurs and before Delphine has time to ask her what she meant by that, the girl is walking away, head hanging low while she crosses the door into the large mall.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I had this done before christmas, actually, but the festivities kept me occupied. Any way, this will actually bleed into the New Year's since another chapter will be added to end the story because I think it will flow better that way.**

Delphine is bored, terribly so. The previous days had been a drag, slow pacing until she can finally leave. She had enough of malls for a good few months. But today, it seems like it will never end. The christmas music on loop, the customers whose christmas spirit is synonym with rudeness and the big, brightly decorated tree in the middle of the store, with the lights blinking non-stop are seriously getting on her nerves - truly the stuff of nightmares. Yep, Delphine is reaching the breaking point, she can feel it approaching, a bomb ticking down, announcing an impending explosion. And it's not even noon yet.

And the day has only gone from bad to worse, when after lunch a middle age man, pristinely dress in a suit, hair combed over the top of his balding head, decided she was the ideal person to walk him around the store in search of a gift to the wife. If the eyes constantly moving up and down her body were not enough to tip her over the edge - they were -, then the man's complaints about the price of anything Delphine pointed out to him would certainly do the job.

"Mr., you need to choose: you either save money or you give a proper present to your wife," she snaps at him. "You can't have it both ways!"

The man looks at her, the startled expression quickly morphing to anger. "Maybe I should talk to the management."

"Maybe you should," Delphine agrees sharply. _Screw it all!_

She returns to the back of the counter, only scarcely concerned with the perspective of losing her job; it's not like it would cause a great downfall to her life, the extra flow of cash is welcomed, but she's not sure if it's worth all the trouble. Chin nestled in the palm of her head, the elbow set on the counter, the blonde watches as the obnoxious customer, instead of following through with his threat, walks out the store empty handed.

Maybe it's because today she's wearing a dress that could easily merge with the Christmas tree as part of its decoration, or perhaps it's the dreadlocks that today are concealed under a purple beanie, but Delphine does not notice the same petite woman from yesterday approach her.

"You don't look very merry," the familiar raspy voice comes from the opposite side Delphine's looking at with a blank stare.

Her eyes are yet to lay on the woman and the smile is already on her lips. "That's because I'm not," Delphine says, taking in the sight of the brightest smile she has seen since... since she can remember, really. "Still haven't found your gift?"

The girl shrugs but her huge grin doesn't falter. "What If I told you I just came by to hear you say _perfume_ and _lingerie_ again?" She asks, tilting her head a little to the side and winking mischievously.

Usually Delphine is quick on her feet, very seldom she finds herself grasping for words. It's something she prides herself of: it's not easy to catch the French woman off-guard. This is all true, but the same rules don't apply with this enigmatic character, it seems. She really doesn't know what to say, words caught in her throat as she nags her lower lip with her teeth and feels the heat crawling up to her cheeks, eyes glued to the adorable expression of the small woman, who seems amused with the absence of response. Pink tongue poking between slightly chapped lips from the cold winter wind, as she brings a knuckle to adjust the big frames on the bridge of her nose.

"Don't you guys ever get a break?" The brunette then asks casually, as if they've been lifelong friends, leaning her hips against the counter, the astute stare moves around the store, giving Delphine some much needed reprieve.

Delphine checks her watch, "not for another forty minutes," she replies and just the thought of it causes her mood to sink.

"Let me buy you a coffee," the girl offers without hesitation. "I'll be on the food court."

She doesn't even wait for Delphine's answer before she turns around and leaves. The blonde doesn't know what to make of it, confused, with a brow cocked up watching her walk out she decides that either the girl is pretentious enough to assume that a negative reply is impossible or she doesn't want to hear one.

Nevertheless, Delphine starts to count down the minutes for her break, her eyes constantly glancing at her wristwatch, which, obviously, only makes the time seem to pass much slower. After the longest forty minutes ever recorded in history are over, she quickly goes to the back room, grabs her purse and flies out the door.

If Delphine doubted the persistence of the peculiar girl or her patience to wait for her for so long, it fades at the sight of the now discovered dreadlocks and that pesky little smile returns to the blonde's lips.

"What about the way I say _perfume_ or _lingerie_?" She asks, taking the sit in front of the young woman.

"It's all about the accent," the brunette doesn't miss a beat and the adorable grin she gives her makes Delphine's gut twist deliciously. "Why don't we start again?" The girl says when Delphine finds herself without words again. "I'm Cosima," she extends her hand over the table, several bracelets clack together with the motion, "and you're Delphine, right?"

She takes the hand, her brain only barely registers how soft it feels against her skin amidst her confusion. "I… Yes, how did you…"

"Name tag," Cosima explains, her free hand aiming at the clerk's breast pocket.

"Oh, right…" Delphine mumbles, her hand feels far too empty when Cosima slowly recovers it.

"Just before you get any weird ideas, I don't normally do this," Cosima says, the words spilling out fast, leading Delphine to believe she has thought this through. "I don't want you to think I'm like… stalking your something. I don't have the habit of inviting strangers for coffee either."

"I suppose I should feel honored, then," Delphine teases.

"Oh no, that's not what I…" Cosima starts, but stops when she takes notice of the blonde's little smirk. "Are you poking fun at me?"

Delphine shrugs. "I don't see why you should be the only one to make witty remarks."

"Fair enough," the brunette nods slowly and suddenly her countenance changes, instead of the vibrant energy she usually exudes, a more sober expression takes hold of her beautiful features, staring at her hands set on top of the table, fidgeting with one of her many rings. "I feel like I owe you an apology," she says in a low voice, "about the way I left things yesterday."

Delphine hums, but shakes her head. "No, no… I'm the one who should apologize," she counters. "I should've never suggested you should try another store, that was… unprofessional."

The girl laughs, her hands waving once more between the two of them. "Okay! Now that we've both admitted not to have been on our best behavior, we can move on." Cosima pauses briefly, her hands hanging on the air as if contemplating her next words. "It's actually a good thing that you discouraged me of buying something."

A crest forms between the blonde's brows. "How so?"

Cosima hesitates again, biting the corner of her lip while her eyes lock in a curious stare with Delphine's. "Well, it just so happens that… as it turns out, I suddenly find myself single," she blurts out fast once her resolve has settled. "So, you see… you actually saved me a pretty penny."

"Oh…" Delphine exclaims, thinking that she should really feel bad about the thrill that immediately crosses her spine. "I'm sorry to hear it," she still manages to express some sort of empathy, although she doubts it comes out as an honest response.

"Nah, don't be," another wave of hand dismisses Delphine's sympathy. "I really don't think it would work. I mean… what future was there for us if I find myself more… interested in a conversation with a mere stranger than the prospect of meeting my girlfriend - no matter how… appealing said stranger is."

The little pauses Cosima made during her speech to select a few words didn't go unnoticed by Delphine, yet, her only response is another mumbled "oh", while she blinks several times. The candor of her company completely catching her by surprise.

"And I'm sorry about floating this whole thing with so little tact," Cosima continues, barely registering the other woman's astonishment while words tumble out of her mouth, "but I feel like time is of the essence here and I believe that you should grab the opportunities as they come," her hands moving around carelessly, giving dimension to her words. "Which is why I was very upset about how I acted yesterday and why I decided to… you know… give it another try."

When she finishes, Cosima's stare finally settles on Delphine, wide, hopeful eyes, not bothered to hide the eagerness she's feeling as she waits for any sort of response. Meanwhile, the Frenchwoman is struggling to process the information that's been thrown her way, but somewhere along Cosima's exuberant speech a little smile shapes her lips.

"I'm sorry," the small woman lowers her head, a slight disappointment crosses her expression. "I guess… I really shouldn't have…"

Delphine extends her left hand to cover Cosima's, once more idly place on the table. "You really should stop apologizing," she stops her, smiling still, without her consent the blonde's thumb starts to brush the soft skin under her touch.

There's a surprised look in Cosima's features when she gazes at the hand on top of hers, it only lasts a couple of seconds though and soon her own fingers are twirling around the other woman's, a grin brightens her face as she locks stares with Delphine. The blonde sighs, her hand gives a weak squeeze on Cosima's before she lets it go and moves to her purse, fishing a pen out of it and reaching for one of the napkins out of the holder.

"I need to go. As you said, time is of the essence," she says as she writes her name and number hastily on the flimsy paper and when she's done, Delphine slides across the table. "But you promised me coffee and I fully intend on collecting that."

The huge confident smirk returns to Cosima's face, while she picks up the paper and, almost with reverent care, neatly folds it and pockets it. "Only coffee?"

Delphine gets up from the table and stands there for a few seconds, a serious expression set as if she has to thoroughly analyze the question. "We start with coffee and see where to go from there."

The smile on Cosima's lips gains an impish edge. "You seem like a very reasonable person."

Delphine feels a surge of confidence herself, as she leans to place a brush of lips on the girl's cheek. "In due time, you'll find out that I have my moments."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Alright, here it is, the third and final part of the story, hope you like it.**

 **The second half of it is NSFW, so you've been warned!**

Despite several attempts, it's revealed to be incredibly difficult to schedule the promised coffee. With Delphine's days occupied in the store and both women's nights busy with the customary family visits during the season, it's next to impossible for the two of them to meet up. On top of it and to Delphine's distaste, Cosima didn't return to the store, although that was not necessarily a bad thing; it's not like the deadlocked girl would fit in with the ambiance and her constant presence was sure to attract unwanted attention.

This is how Delphine finds herself getting ready to meet Cosima only after Christmas has come and gone. After a long day attending people who decided to trade the gifts of loved ones for store credit, she lost her patience waiting for the perfect time and called Cosima. The enthusiastic affirmative response she got from the other end was enough to put Delphine in a much better mood and the day couldn't pass fast enough, she knew the dismissing way she only halfheartedly payed attention to each customer and as soon as she was done for the day, she was out of there, only a quick stop before she hurried home.

They agreed to an after dinner outing in a small bar not too far from her place and it's not Delphine's habit to be running late, in fact she's usually quite punctual, but she had wasted to much time choosing what to wear for her meeting with Cosima. Not wanting to look too formal and, at the same time, going for a careless but well put together look was not an easy balance to achieve. She is already ten minutes late when the blonde decides to go for black, skinny jeans, that she knows accentuates one of her best attributes and a loose, button up, white shirt, the fabric not nearly thick enough for the cold weather, but it was not like she intended to spent the night outside and a black wool coat would keep her warm during the short walk to the place they're set to meet.

Worried about the lateness of her arrival, the blonde is quick to slip inside the crowded bar, and immediately she is glad with her decision to keep her clothes casual and not entirely adequate for the season. It is warm inside, the heat of too many bodies in a space not well ventilated causing her to take off the coat as soon as she enters, while she scans the small pub for the familiar dreadlocks. Still by the door, Delphine curses herself not to have predicted such development and agreed to wait for the other woman outside; find such a small person amidst so many people would be a difficult task.

She is searching for the phone in the pocket of her coat draped on her arm when she felt one hand grazing her hip. Delphine immediately spins around, her expression angry and ready to snap at the person who dared to invade her private space. "Take your hands off…" she stops mid sentence, as soon as her eyes land on the small woman who looks startled by the aggressive reaction.

"Whoa!" Cosima retreats her hand, leaving it hanging between both of them. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Non, non…" the blonde shakes her head and takes Cosima's hand in her own. "I'm sorry, you just surprised me."

Cosima smiles, the hand being held squeezes around Delphine's fingers. "And here we are, still apologising to each other," she shakes her head and snaps her tongue a couple of times. "We need to stop doing this."

Delphine chuckles and interlocks their fingers, pulling Cosima more into the bar. "C'mon, let's find a place to sit."

The brunette lets herself be dragged along the sea of bodies, Delphine maneuvers herself with ease, smiling to herself once she looks over her shoulder and realizes that the bright eyes have to move up to meet her stare, a guilty smirk on the petite woman's lips.

They have a stroke of luck when passing by the bar two stools are left empty as a couple stands up and they move quickly to occupied the seats. Delphine finally removes the phone and keys out of her coat's pocket and sets them on top of the counter, the coat itself left neatly folded on her knees, while Cosima shrugs her own red coat off. Delphine can't avoid the hungry stare cursing the small woman's body in a tight dress, warm reds and browns, Cosima crosses her legs clad in black stockings and the already short skirt rises a few more inches. She feels her own body's immediate response, a tightness in the apex of her thighs and a lump rising to her throat, releasing her bottom lip once she notices she's biting it again.

"No wallet?" Cosima asks, a brow raised.

"You're the one paying tonight," Delphine points out, her stare returning to Cosima's gaze. "You offered, remember?"

"Well… yeah… but it would be polite for you to at least pretend to be appalled by the notion," she counters, the smile a constant on her lips.

"I'll get the next one," the blonde says as she tries to get the attention of the busy bartender.

"So… there's gonna be a next one…"

Delphine looks at the girl's amused expression with mirth dancing in her eyes. "Maybe…"

"Yeah… let's act like you didn't already make up your mind," Cosima jokes lightly.

"That sounds a bit arrogant," Delphine says, her words spoken too softly for the banter to be confused with scolding.

"Not arrogant, confident!" Cosima corrects her, pushing the glasses up her nose, head tilted slightly to the side. "I've noticed the way you were checking me out just moments ago."

Delphine is ready to defend that she's far from being the only guilty party in that department, but their conversation is interrupted by the bartender coming over to take their orders.

"A martini," Delphine answers, catching in the corner of her eye the surprised side glance Cosima gives her.

"I'll have the same," the brunette says and when they are left alone she shifts her body to face Delphine. "Our agreement clearly stipulated coffee."

Delphine smiles and shrugs. "It's too late for coffee."

Truth be told, what she really needs is something to calm her nerves. Delphine's definitely not used to this sort of meetings and the constant flirting between the two woman is not really helping her to face this as just a meeting between two possible friends. Not that it would be easy to see it that way, Cosima had been honest with her from the start and she was not doing a good job in hiding her own interest and while adding alcohol to the mix is probably not the best idea, she needs something to help her relax.

She does relax, as the alcohol enters her system, Delphine feels the tension leave her body and in its place a leisurely buzz slides along her muscles. The easy conversation helps; Cosima shares with her the passion for sciences and, with the second martini comes a heated argument over the latest developments on each of their fields of study. Even so, that only bides Delphine some time, which is constantly cut short every time Cosima finds a way to lightly touch the blonde; a soft graze of fingers cause heat to sweep through the flimsy material of Delphine's shirt and creep down her arm, fingertips glide over the back of the hand she keeps on top of the dark wood bar, a playful nudge on her shoulder or a bump on the outside of her thigh. Any reason is a good excuse for Cosima to touch her, always subtle, but lingering just enough for Delphine to be sure that it's no accident.

"Should we order another?""

The blonde's eyes move from Cosima's grin to the empty glasses in front of them and return to the girl, narrowing slightly as she considers her options. "Non, I think I should head home," she answers and easily discerns the disappointment on the other woman.

"Oh… okay," Cosima nods, apparently trying to take her defeat with grace. "I guess you must be tired after working in that place all day."

Delphine gets up and puts on her coat, the movement allowing her to hide the smile she fights not to fully stretch her lips. Cosima follows her outside, the cold wind had picked up while they were inside and, the moment they're both on the street, Delphine pulls one of the smaller woman's arm and guides it to her elbow.

"Walk me home?" Delphine asks when Cosima's eyes meet hers with a raised brow. "It's not far."

Cosima beams despite herself and Delphine is no longer so sure her ruse stands. "Yeah… sure," the girl nods and tightens the loop around Delphine's arm.

They walk slowly side by side with their arms around each other, each breath they exhale fogs the path before them, but they remain quiet and Delphine can feel the tension rising again, the anxiety reaching its peak. Every now and then her stare moves to the side and catches a hint of Cosima's small smile, which grows exponentially every time their eyes meet. Yep, Cosima's onto her, she's not even bothering to hide it. It becomes even more clear when they finally reach Delphine's doorstep.

"Aren't you gonna invite me in?" The smaller woman asks, standing right before Delphine, so close that the fog her words create mingles with the blonde's breathing.

Delphine raises a brow, a smirk tickles the corner of her lips. "And why would I do that?"

Cosima shrugs and her arms wind around the taller woman's waist, pulling just slightly, lightly enough for Delphine to step back if she so chooses. "Because I know you want to," she answers casually.

"And you think I'm the kind of woman who invites in someone on the first date," Delphine says, but her own arms are slipping along Cosima's shoulders, a small step forward puts no distance at all between both women. "I have a reputation to defend."

Cosima laughs and extends herself, their faces only inches apart. "Well, if you have a reputation…"

The blonde hums and lets her lips to brush softly along the other woman's, feeling a deep sigh against her lips. "But maybe I could make an exception for you."

"Oh… I wouldn't want you to go against your principles," to Delphine's surprise, Cosima pulls back and looks her in the eye. "Even though I had no idea this was a date, if had known that I would've brought my A game…"

Having enough of the tiptoeing around each other, Delphine accesses the most brazen part of herself, pulling Cosima's face up with both her hands on the brunette's cheeks and lowering herself, the frenchwoman plants a soft kiss on expecting lips. Cosima responds with equal gentleness, she lets the kiss remain easy, her lips glide along Delphine's gingerly, at least for a while. Eventually her arms tighten around the lean waist and she pushes herself against the blonde, her teeth graze the tender flesh of Delphine's lips and, as she pushes the other woman against the glass door behind them, her tongue demands access easily granted into Delphine's mouth. Spiked by Cosima's more aggressive approach, Delphine moves her hands lower, releasing the smaller woman's face and reaching her ass with casual ease, using a firm grasp to pull Cosima further to her and receiving a groan against her lips in return.

There's little to none thought process involved when Delphine quickly turns around and digs around her pocket for the keys and slides it into the lock while hearing a urgent "hurry up, Delphine!" from the other woman, when she takes a little longer. They climb up the stairs in no time and another door is hastily opened and shut with a loud noise.

There's barely enough time for Delphine to slide the chain to lock the door when she feels eager hands removing her coat and carelessly drop it on the floor. She turns around to face Cosima and the smaller frame immediately clings to her, it's a flash of hurried movements that cause clothes to be discarded, groping every inch of supple flesh in the way. Cosima's glasses are left unattended on one of the dressers along the way to the bed in Delphine's small, studio apartment, while the buttons of her shirt are gracelessly pulled to freedom and the flimsy fabric drops to the floor. The rings and bracelets that compose Cosima's arms and hands leave a path along the apartment leading to the bed and both women have to separate themselves to remove the shoes that are on the way and are kicked to the side.

They only stop once they reach the bed, catching their breaths, the two women take the opportunity to appraise each other; Cosima's dress only halfway removed, pulled down to her waist, her chest completely bare, while Delphine's legs are still covered in jeans, the zipper, however no longer hold the fabric together, allowing Cosima to spy a hint of her underwear.

The brunette smirks, her eyes move along the lean body before her as she pushes Delphine down, and, this time with a much slower pace, she moves her hands to slide the jeans off the long legs. "I'm pretty sure I remember seeing this lingerie before…" she hints in a rough voice, taking notice of the red, lacy combination, the tip of her fingers grazing along the elegant design of the fabric covering Delphine's breasts.

The blonde nibbles her lower lips, her waist rocks up in slow but deliberate motions, her hands moving to remove the last of Cosima's clothes and encouraging her to straddle her when she slots her fingers under the smaller woman's buttocks. "I find that hard to believe, since it's brand new…" her voice is too thick and she has to swallow down a lump once Cosima is finally on top of her, full breasts directly in her line of sight.

"And you called _me_ arrogant?!" Cosima says, her hands pulling down one strap of the bra, still able to keep her movements deft despite the hot lips placing gentle kisses along her chest. "This was your plan all along… lure me into your house and have your way with me…"

Delphine smiles, a hand coming up to take a good hold on soft flesh. "Can't a girl have nice things without being accused of having second intentions?" She responds right before her teeth grazes along an erect nipple, her tongue giving a hard stroke while she squeezes tighter.

Cosima groans, her hands sinking in a sea of golden locks. "Right… you have a reputation to defend after all," she says. And Delphine is sure she would continue if her words weren't cut short with a sharp "fuck!" once her free hand moves forward to cup Cosima's entire sex.

Cosima's body welcomes her touch, propelling forward to make the contact firmer, her legs adjust a little, opening wider to help the blonde's intentions. When fingers sink deeper to part her and take in the smooth path, Cosima's grip on the golden curls becomes more demanding, pulling Delphine's head to her lips, forcing her to disengage from the breast still behind thoroughly showered by tender attention, and covers Delphine's mouth with her own, in a rough kiss laced with pure lust, the strong tongue invades without facing any sort resistance.

Cosima rides the long fingers with strong motions, helped by Delphine's left hand that found its way to the smaller woman's ass, pulling her in an increasingly rapid pace. She releases a surprised yelp when Delphine, clearly done with having Cosima with so much control over the course of events, spins her over and all but throws her against the mattress, pinning the petite woman down with her body while the fingers push harder against Cosima's depths. There's little Cosima can do now and she gladly takes in the more aggressive pace, wrapping her legs around Delphine's waist and her arms around the other woman's torso, scratching the smooth skin along the pale back, the brunette receives every stroke with a moan, tension building up inside her body.

The motion of her hips becomes more erratic when a thumb grazes with deliberate smoothness her clit, the digits move gently inside her, not pulling back but pressing against the front wall, slowly dragging along its length. Delphine smiles to herself, feeling the girl's arousal becoming gradually more abundant, when she pulls her fingers out for a long stroke along Cosima's sex, they find absolutely no resistance on their path, the wetness coat the little nub she plays with harder brushes before she sinks back in with a swift movement.

Delphine slows her pace when she feels the walls contract tighter around her digits, allowing Cosima to ride her climax at her own pace, with long sways of her hips, undulating and pushing down against Delphine's fingers.

"Oh… oh… yeah…" Cosima breaths out, her voice remains low as she clings hard to the blonde. "So fucking awesome!"

Delphine chuckles, spreading soft kisses across Cosima's collarbone, moving up the side of her neck and finally reaching her lips, where Cosima returns her kisses between heavy breaths. A harsher sigh and a bit to Delphine's lower lips when the fingers buried inside the small woman pull out. The blonde herself feels the need to catch her breath, resting her head on Cosima's upper torso, she wills her body to slow down from the over excited energy.

"You know… I've been thinking about that first date thing," Cosima eventually says quietly, one of her fingers playing with one of Delphine's curls, "and if you count the first two times we met before, this is actually the third date."

The blonde hums. "I really don't think those count."

"I was just thinking about the preservation of your reputation," Cosima laughs. "Trying to bend the rules a little bit for your benefit."

Delphine raises herself and brushes her nose softly against the other woman's. "Thank you," she says, placing a small peck on Cosima's lips, "but I suspect you don't care much about my reputation."

"You got that right," the brunette nods, opening a wicked smile and effortlessly, wrapping her leg on Delphine's, spins them around, in an instant has the taller woman beneath her.

She straightens her back, sitting on top of Delphine with an even larger smile, her stare moves along the body within her reach. Her hands glide lazily along the warm skin and Delphine shifts slightly under the touch, the casual caress of Cosima's fingers put her body in motion, her hips languidly quiver until Cosima grounds down deliberately, pressing against her. The mischievous grin on the smaller woman's lips causing another twist in Delphine's gut and a firmer movement of her hips.

"I like these," Cosima informs in a playful voice when her fingers trace along the band of Delphine's panties, "but I think they gotta to go."

"Do they?" The blonde asks, but she's already raising her hips as Cosima starts to slide them down her legs.

With a theatrical gesture, Cosima throws the undergarment over her head, to land somewhere unknown. "They're kinda in the way," she explains.

Delphine chuckles, her stare doesn't leave the other woman's hands as they reach for the straps of the elaborate bra that hasn't been removed yet, despite Cosima's early attempt. She sinks her fingers in coarse dreadlocks when the brunette, having Delphine free of any barriers, lowers her lips to the soft flesh, her hands moving to both breasts and fondles them delicately, the touch just effective enough to have Delphine sigh with satisfaction.

Contrary to Delphine, Cosima keeps it simple, easy, every move is teemed with fluidity. The blonde finds herself pliant to Cosima's touch, as her mouth roams Delphine's body, spreading light kisses along her torso, every now and then reaching her lips and a deeper kiss is shared, tongues slide over each other and moans are muffled. But soon Cosima returns to her exploration, her mouth travels lower and a nipple is gently licked while deft hands move the longer body tamed by the tender attention.

Delphine doesn't remember when her body was attended with such reverence - if ever. When her right leg is pulled up to Cosima's shoulder she's sure that there's not an inch of her body that was left untouched by the other woman's lips or hands. Cosima's movements remain deliberate as she spreads the blonde's legs wider, the hand placed with care on Delphine's inner thigh when a light kiss lands on her core and she's visibly shivering with anticipation and _still_ Cosima moves slowly.

"Cosima, allez, fonce!" She loses her cool and for good measure one of her hands, which have been fisting the bedspread since the small woman got out of reach, goes to Cosima's dreads and pushes down.

Sure, it's not exactly graceful, but gets the job done. Cosima laughs against the warm, slick flesh, but slips out her tongue and gives one long lap. Humming with pleasure, the slightly too insolent for her own good girl, finally hastes her movements, the expert muscle swirls around Delphine's clit before her lips take hold of it and pull slowly. Delphine sighs contently, at last finding some relief from the tension that has been building up, she rocks her hips forward and Cosima matches the rhythm of her hips, her tongue glides along the aroused skin with practiced strokes. One last hard squeeze to the strong thigh and Cosima's fingers abandon the supple flesh to enter molten walls. The fluid gestures remain, with steady thrusts, her fingers build a crescendo while her tongue continues to soar over Delphine's sex, most times the touch so frail that the blonde doesn't even know it's there until Cosima decides to press harder, catching her completely by surprise and another wave of pleasure raises up, another layer of longing is built.

Delphine throws her head back, her eyes roll in sync with her body as the clever girl between her legs delivers the last blow, fingers pushing in a much hurried pace than before, stroking her inner wall and tongue flicking fast against the little nub, have Delphine reaching her peak. She groans loudly, the fingers of the hand she still has on top of Cosima's head grip harder and her hips rise up, strong enough to counteract the brunette's hold.

Cosima has a self-satisfied smirk when she climbs up and hovers over a very disheveled Delphine, whose only response is to pull her down for a messy kiss.

"And you weren't sure about asking me up…" Cosima prompts, shaking her head slightly, in the movement their noses brush lightly.

Delphine laughs with pleasure, her body completely relaxed. "No, no… you were right. This was my plan all along," she jokes.

"Knew it!"

Just then the calmness of their exchange is broken as a loud firework rockets up the sky and illuminates Delphine's small apartment. The blonde stands up abruptly, suddenly not feeling all that relaxed and looks indignantly at Cosima who starts to laugh uncontrollably, while the room is filled with bright lights.

"Chill," the brunette places a hand on Delphine's shoulder, encouraging her to lay down. "It's just new year's. Don't you celebrate it in _La France_?" She says with an exaggerated accent.

"New year's!?" Delphine asks confused, not yet ready to fully relaxed.

"Dude, don't tell me you didn't know," she looks beyond astonished.

Finally having the information sinking in, Delphine shakes her head slowly. "I guess I was too distracted today," and she seems as surprised as Cosima by her own disorientation. "I have received an abnormal amount of text messages today, but I thought it was just people getting it out of the way…" she thinks aloud.

Cosima chuckles. "Totally cool," she nods and gives a small kiss on the corner of Delphine's lip. "I know you haven't been thinking about nothing else but the amazing meet with yours truly," she places a hand on her own chest. "It's completely understandable. Besides," Cosima stops for another kiss, this time square on the lips, "of all the ways to celebrate the New Year, I couldn't think of a better one than this."

The words cause a warm smile to pull the Frenchwoman's lips, a pleasant squeeze to her heart. "I have to agree with you," she nods.

Suddenly remembering something, Delphine pushes Cosima off of her and swings her legs to the floor, walking quickly along cold hardwood floor.

"Where are you going?" She hears Cosima calling from the bed.

Looking over her shoulder as she opens the fridge door, she notices Cosima's confused expression. "I have a bottle of champagne somewhere," she explains, producing said bottle and raising it for the other woman to see.

"So… you just happen to have one laying around?" Cosima asks, dumbfounded.

"Well, I like to keep one at hand," Delphine answers, moving around the cupboard where she keeps her glasses. "Call it wishful thinking or whatever. You never know when you'll have a reason to celebrate."

"Shit, that's the frenchest thing I've ever heard," Cosima starts to laugh.

Raising an eyebrow, Delphine walks back to the bed, in one hand she has the bottle and the other carries two champagne flutes. "I can put it back, you know…" she threatens with no intention to follow through.

The girl stops her laughter, but continues to smile. "Oh, no way! Let's do this!" She takes the glasses that are handed to her.

Delphine removes the golden foil and the wire cage and leaves them on the nightstand, next she carefully works around the cork, holding it secure while she rotates the bottle to avoid the mess of spraying the sparkling wine, besides, there's no reason to waste it. The golden liquid is poured into tilted glasses and once she's satisfied, Delphine rests the bottle on the small table and moves to sit on the bed, Cosima's legs immediately go around her waist, pulling herself closer.

Cosima beams and clicks her glass against Delphine's. "Happy New Year! May it be filled with nights like this."


End file.
